Queens cortège 6 hour journey

[Dodie66]

I’m just wondering how they do a 6 hour journey. Do they have stops for loo breaks? Do they change drivers.?

I noticed the logo, I doubt anyone had to have 'words', it didnt disappear, it was on the drivers side and the car didnt pull up at Edinburgh castle at all

My OH and I were at Ballater awaiting the Queen's funeral cortege. You could have heard a pin drop as it went past which made it incredibly moving and emotional. We were told the Royal Family requested the public not throw flowers at the cortege.

Signed the book of condolences in Ballater Church too.

After that, the first bus took people up to Balmoral Castle gates to pay our respects and lay flowers. Spent a lot of time looking at all the tributes which was beautiful.

A bagpiper in full gear played the pipes while we were there - unofficial piper paying her respects.

The weather was amazing with the village of Ballater bathed in sunshine at just the right time.

It looks like Operation UNICORN went brilliantly right across Scotland today and everyone should rightly feel proud of themselves.

A great send-off for a much loved Queen.

I was a steward today in Dundee and it was a complete honour to have been able to see the cortège and witness my fellow dundonians sharing the experience. People started to line the route from 11am onwards (cortège didn't pass us until 2:15pm). It was an absolutely lovely atmosphere and everyone was so respectful as the cortège passed all ages from babies to 90's. I've still got a lump in my throat now.

Thank you so much for those pictures @DownNative. They’re beautiful.

I think that even if you aren't a person of faith, you can help but wonder at the weather over the last few days... it's been grim this week with pouring rain on Thursday. Followed by rainbows as the death was announced. And glorious sunshine in London onFriday for the arrival of the new King. And today couldn't have been any better for her last journey. And then once safely at Holyrood, it rained. You couldn't make it up.

@DownNative I went to Balmoral via the park and ride bus from Ballater, with my OH and kids yesterday and have similar photos of the beautiful flowers. The weather was incredible, the number of people who made the trip immense, and I’m so pleased we could be there. We watched the cortege in Brechin today when they stopped for a rest break, again feel privileged to have been there. Scotland have really turned out for Her Majesty.

Correction, I meant the Palace of Holyroodhouse, not Edinburgh Castle.

I saw the logo at Holyrood which is where they pulled up - not Edinburgh Castle. I really don't see how they could possibly have made it magically disappear when they were on the move and being filmed all the way.

I loved the Scottish troops at Holyroodhouse, they looked absolutely magnificent.

I read online yesterday a statement from the funeral director saying that when they’d stopped for a toilet break for the driver they pulled the logo sticker out the window. That their website had crashed and they’d realised people had seen the sticker so removed it as “the day should be about the Queen, not us”.

also seen lots of lovely behind the scene tiktok videos yesterday of people on the route, inc the tractor drivers.

The Scots have done her proud.

The cortege went past us on the final approach to Holyrood, we headed away along with thousands of others (we get crowds in Edinburgh, but that was something else, even for here), everyone fanned out across the traffic free surrounding streets and then it started to gently spot with rain. Like you say, couldn't make it up.

Thanks - we did, from the lovely scenery to the thousands of people lining the route. I'm sorry I wasn't able to go but I don't live particularly near the route, although my daughter saw the cortege going past her town.
Some of OH's English friends were also commenting - I don't know what they expected (placard waving protestors?), but the Queen has always been held in high regard by a lot of Scottish people, especially in the Deeside area.

Because she died in Scotland, it's Operation Unicorn. She lies in state in Edinburgh first.

And there is no royal train any more! It was decommissioned years ago!

That sounds like it was a memorable day the flowers are just gorgeous, incidentally I heard this morning that the flowers will be composted and used in the Royal gardens,

And there is no royal train any more! It was decommissioned years ago!

William & Catherine toured the UK in 2020 in the royal train, it definitely exists.

The Queen used the Royal train in June to go to Edinburgh fir Royal Week.

The royal train still exists. It was the yacht that was decommissioned

The plan to go by train apparently changed a few years ago, pre pandemic, because of the disruption it would cause to other services and because of the levels of policing and security that would be needed through the journey.

They cortège stopped at the Little Chef just outside Perth for a comfort break I heard

They didnt go to Perth

What a beautiful area you live in and what a dignified greeting. It was the most beautiful part of the journey, I can see how this area meant so much to the Queen, just stunning. Thanks for sharing, beautiful to watch.

That was just never going to happen

They had a break at Brechin Castle. About an hour, apparatus.

The stopped at Brechin Castle.

The hearse was a local undertaker